Comparison
Skimp vs Fold (Fold Money)
Last verified 6 October 2026
Fold and Skimp solve the same problem from opposite ends. Fold connects to your banks through the Account Aggregator framework, works on iPhone, and covers investments and net worth, in exchange for an account and server-side processing. Skimp reads SMS on the phone and never goes online.
This page is written by the developer of Skimp, so read it with that in mind. Every statement about Fold links to where it comes from, and the section on when to choose Fold is not there for show.
What Fold is
Fold is an expense and net-worth tracker for India that fetches data from your bank accounts through the RBI's Account Aggregator framework instead of reading SMS. It runs on Android and iPhone, tracks mutual funds, stocks, EPF, NPS and fixed deposits as well as spending, and needs a phone number to sign up. It has a free tier and paid plans.
- Made by
- Fold
- Gets transactions from
- Bank data fetched through Account Aggregator, with your consent
- Price
- A free plan, and Fold Plus at ₹349 a month or ₹999 a year on the App Store in India. Fold has said free plans will carry ads.
- Runs on
- Android and iPhone, with a web app in early access
- Website
- fold.money
Side by side
“Not verified” means we found no source that settles it either way. It does not mean Fold lacks the feature.
| Feature | Skimp | Fold |
|---|---|---|
| Reads bank SMS automatically | YesOn the device, with a review queue for uncertain ones | NoUses Account Aggregator instead |
| No internet permission | YesAndroid blocks any network connection | NoA cloud service |
| Works without an account | YesNo sign-up, phone number or email | NoPhone number required |
| Every feature free | YesNo paid tier, no in-app purchases | NoFree plan plus paid Fold Plus |
| No ads | Yes | PartialFold says free plans will carry ads |
| No loans or cards sold in the app | Yes | Not verified |
| Budgets with alerts | YesOverall and per category, at 80% and 100% | Yes |
| Recurring and subscription tracking | YesRecurring rules plus detected subscriptions | YesFinds recurring payments |
| Lend and borrow (udhaar) ledger | Yes | Not verified |
| Export to CSV or PDF | YesBoth | Not verified |
| Encrypted backup | YesAES-256-GCM, your passphrase | Not verified |
| Sync across devices | NoNo server; move data with a backup file | Yes |
| iPhone app | NoiOS does not let apps read SMS | Yes |
| Multiple currencies | NoRupees only | Not verified |
| Investments and net worth | No | YesMutual funds, stocks, EPF, NPS, FDs |
| Open source | NoProprietary | No |
The differences that matter
How transactions arrive
Fold receives your transactions from the bank itself, through Account Aggregator. That includes payments your bank sends no SMS for, and history from before you installed it. Skimp sees only what arrives as an SMS, so a payment with no alert has to be entered by hand.
Where your data is
Fold is a cloud service: the data your bank releases through Account Aggregator is processed on its side, and its Data Safety section declares a phone number as collected and required. Skimp has no server and no account. The ledger is a file on your phone.
Scope
Fold shows investments, net worth and a credit score beside your spending, has shared spaces, and includes an AI assistant. Skimp tracks income, spending, budgets, goals and udhaar, and stops there.
Choose Fold if
- You use an iPhone
- You would rather link bank accounts than grant an app SMS access
- You want investments and net worth in the same app as spending
- Your bank does not send SMS for every payment and you want none missed
Choose Skimp if
- You do not want to link bank accounts or register a phone number
- You want your financial data to exist only on your phone
- You want every feature free
- You want something that works with no signal and no login
Skimp is in a closed test ahead of a public release. Join the waitlist to be told when there is a build to install, or read what it does and does not do.
Sources
Read on 6 October 2026. Apps change their pricing, permissions and policies, so check the source if a detail matters to you.
- Fold website
- Fold on its pricing and free plan
- Fold on the App Store (India)
- Fold on Google Play
- Fold Data Safety section
What Skimp itself does is documented in its privacy policy and Data Safety answers. Found something wrong or out of date? Tell us at support.skimp.rabugotra.com and it will be corrected.